Read Online The Kiss on Castle Road (A Lavender Island Novel) by Lauren Christopher - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lauren Christopher
Ads: Link
into the phone.
“You did?” He heard his nephew gurgling and cooing again. “Hold on, Elliott.”
He waited while Nell switched sides, or switched phone ears, or whatever she was doing. He was happy she was happy. Her new baby and Jim were long-overdue lights in her life. She’d lived in dark clouds for so many years, always haunted by fear, always afraid of potential danger. They were both spooked by the dark, by scary sounds, by anyone approaching them the wrong way. Although their parents’ killers were caught almost immediately, they’d lived forever with the unthinkable images they’d stumbled across that morning. They’d lived forever with the nightmares. Nell had lived forever with the need to protect Elliott. And Elliott had lived forever with the memory of how he’d frozen. If it hadn’t been for Nell, he knew he’d be dead, too.
“So, who is this woman you met?” she asked between coos to his nephew, Max.
“I don’t know her, per se, but . . .” He let that trail off. He didn’t even know what he was talking about. He was thinking of Natalie, but he was just conjuring this up now. Natalie probably thought he was some deranged lunatic, abandoning dates on his patio or getting them drunk and letting them wander, naked, into the freezing Pacific.
A wave of mortification had gone through him when he’d realized that Natalie had doubted Alice’s safety. He’d seen her eyeing Alice warily when she’d first approached. But once that disturbing realization had passed, he’d taken a deep breath and admired the gesture. Most women—or even men, for that matter—would probably have let the whole scene slip right past them, assuming it was what it was: a date splashed with too much alcohol and going a bit awry. But, in truth, admiration swept over him that Natalie hadn’t been afraid to intervene and possibly come to the rescue of another woman. Which was why he’d let her come inside and analyze as much as she wanted.
“Well, what does she do?”
“I’m, uh . . . I’m not really sure.”
“Where does she live?”
“A few houses down, I think, on the beach?”
“How old is she?”
“I don’t know. Maybe my age?”
A deep sigh sounded. “Elliott, this sounds like someone you saw , not someone you met . Please, let’s just get through the next three dates. Trust me. These are good, caring women. I saved the best for last.”
“Nell, let me take care of my own dating life. I need to get back to work, and—”
“If you wait until you have a break in work, you’ll never meet anyone. Please , Elliott. Just these last three. I already set them up. After that, I promise I’ll back off.”
Elliott ran his hand through his hair. “Really?”
“I’m that confident.”
“Okay.”
Having Nell finally back out of his business would be a relief. Maybe then she’d just go to Italy with Jim and live the life they were meant to live. And he could stop feeling guilty for being such an albatross around their necks.
“Three then,” he said. “But I have to work until seven tomorrow.” Beautiful visions of quietude to study his slides danced before him.
“I’ll make you reservations at a restaurant so you don’t have to do the whole thing at your place. How about eight o’clock?”
“All right.”
That might be less stressful. He could pay the check when they were done and leave. The whole thing could be contained to just an hour or two.
“Good night, Elliott. Don’t stay up all night . . . Sunrises.”
He smiled.
“Sunrises” was what he and Nell used to say to each other when they were kids to get each other through the night. She’d told him to always picture the sunrise, to know it was coming, to conjure it behind his eyelids, and to watch as it came up over the ocean. It had worked. It had gotten him through two decades of nightmares.
“Sunrises, Nell.”
He clicked off the phone and turned to his notes, where he always felt safe.
CHAPTER 6
Natalie
“You did?” He heard his nephew gurgling and cooing again. “Hold on, Elliott.”
He waited while Nell switched sides, or switched phone ears, or whatever she was doing. He was happy she was happy. Her new baby and Jim were long-overdue lights in her life. She’d lived in dark clouds for so many years, always haunted by fear, always afraid of potential danger. They were both spooked by the dark, by scary sounds, by anyone approaching them the wrong way. Although their parents’ killers were caught almost immediately, they’d lived forever with the unthinkable images they’d stumbled across that morning. They’d lived forever with the nightmares. Nell had lived forever with the need to protect Elliott. And Elliott had lived forever with the memory of how he’d frozen. If it hadn’t been for Nell, he knew he’d be dead, too.
“So, who is this woman you met?” she asked between coos to his nephew, Max.
“I don’t know her, per se, but . . .” He let that trail off. He didn’t even know what he was talking about. He was thinking of Natalie, but he was just conjuring this up now. Natalie probably thought he was some deranged lunatic, abandoning dates on his patio or getting them drunk and letting them wander, naked, into the freezing Pacific.
A wave of mortification had gone through him when he’d realized that Natalie had doubted Alice’s safety. He’d seen her eyeing Alice warily when she’d first approached. But once that disturbing realization had passed, he’d taken a deep breath and admired the gesture. Most women—or even men, for that matter—would probably have let the whole scene slip right past them, assuming it was what it was: a date splashed with too much alcohol and going a bit awry. But, in truth, admiration swept over him that Natalie hadn’t been afraid to intervene and possibly come to the rescue of another woman. Which was why he’d let her come inside and analyze as much as she wanted.
“Well, what does she do?”
“I’m, uh . . . I’m not really sure.”
“Where does she live?”
“A few houses down, I think, on the beach?”
“How old is she?”
“I don’t know. Maybe my age?”
A deep sigh sounded. “Elliott, this sounds like someone you saw , not someone you met . Please, let’s just get through the next three dates. Trust me. These are good, caring women. I saved the best for last.”
“Nell, let me take care of my own dating life. I need to get back to work, and—”
“If you wait until you have a break in work, you’ll never meet anyone. Please , Elliott. Just these last three. I already set them up. After that, I promise I’ll back off.”
Elliott ran his hand through his hair. “Really?”
“I’m that confident.”
“Okay.”
Having Nell finally back out of his business would be a relief. Maybe then she’d just go to Italy with Jim and live the life they were meant to live. And he could stop feeling guilty for being such an albatross around their necks.
“Three then,” he said. “But I have to work until seven tomorrow.” Beautiful visions of quietude to study his slides danced before him.
“I’ll make you reservations at a restaurant so you don’t have to do the whole thing at your place. How about eight o’clock?”
“All right.”
That might be less stressful. He could pay the check when they were done and leave. The whole thing could be contained to just an hour or two.
“Good night, Elliott. Don’t stay up all night . . . Sunrises.”
He smiled.
“Sunrises” was what he and Nell used to say to each other when they were kids to get each other through the night. She’d told him to always picture the sunrise, to know it was coming, to conjure it behind his eyelids, and to watch as it came up over the ocean. It had worked. It had gotten him through two decades of nightmares.
“Sunrises, Nell.”
He clicked off the phone and turned to his notes, where he always felt safe.
CHAPTER 6
Natalie
Similar Books
